


to hold me in place

by orphan_account



Series: throw me a rope [1]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Dom/sub, M/M, Obedience
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-25
Updated: 2014-09-25
Packaged: 2018-02-18 18:32:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2357996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This time, Levi isn’t surprised when Eren bursts into his room that night.</p>
            </blockquote>





	to hold me in place

**Author's Note:**

> **Disclaimer:** This work is based on the characters as portrayed in Attack on Titan. No copyright infringement is intended, and, obviously, I’m not making any money from this. Title from “Throw Me a Rope” by KT Tunstall.

Levi is at his desk, revising the battle formations Erwin gave him when Eren throws his door open. 

Eren’s hair is all over the place, his cheeks are flushed. Levi raises an eyebrow at him, waits. 

Finally, Eren says, “I can do it.” His fists are clenched at his sides and there’s something about the way he stands, unmoving. 

Levi tilts his head, considers Eren standing in front of him after bursting into his room. “You’re not ready,” he answers before going back to the papers on his desk. 

He’s figuring out who goes on which flank, concentrating more on strategies than on Eren standing in the middle of his room. He figures Eren will eventually leave the way he came. He miscalculates.

A fist lands on his desk, rattles Levi’s papers, and that is _it_. The chair makes a screeching noise when Levi pushes it back. 

He points his finger at Eren, saying, “You’re a risk that I am not willing to take.”

It’s a apparently the wrong thing to say because it sends Eren on a rant so furious and stubborn that Levi’s temples start to ache as he tries to keep up. He stares at Eren, who barrels on and on, like breathing is something beneath his station. It seems endless, and Levi has better things to do than listen to Eren’s bratty soliloquy. 

Levi isn’t really thinking about it when he moves. It just seems like the thing to do, to corner Eren, push himself up and smash their mouths together. At the very least, it shuts Eren up. 

Levi feels Eren go completely still. Then, as Eren closes his eyes, Levi watches him slowly relax. Except it feels different. There’s something about Eren that’s not really relaxed. It’s more… resigned, really. His shoulders hunch, and Levi is certain he’d be falling to the floor if not for the wall supporting him. 

He takes a step back, makes his way to the door. Eren opens his eyes after a moment. He doesn’t meet Levi’s as he makes his way out. 

*

Levi is not thinking about it. He is not thinking about kissing his subordinate and he is most certainly not thinking about the way Eren all but went limp with one kiss. 

Levi is not thinking about these things because that would be a distraction. None of them can afford distractions. 

He works his squad harder, keeps his focus on their training, giving no one any preferential treatment. He takes notes on everyone’s progress, has meetings with Erwin, goes over strategies with Hange. He doesn’t have a spare minute to himself, much less to anyone else. He also notices Eren following him with confused eyes. 

Then it’s been two weeks and Levi hasn’t so much as said a word to Eren. Eren’s stares become harder, bitter. 

They’re practicing formations, with Levi shouting orders at anyone and everyone, but never specifically at Eren. He notices Petra favoring her left side and thinks she still hasn’t recovered from the injury she sustained injury on her right leg. 

“Petra,” Levi calls. “Talk to Hange about your leg, you’re still unbalanced.”

Petra blinks at him. He points at her footsteps on the ground, where the ones on her left side are deeper than those on the right. She makes an ‘oh’ face, nods and goes to rejoin the formation. She stops dead on her tracks, though, when she sees Eren. Levi sees him, too, seething, face pinched and red. 

“I exist, too, you know,” Eren barks.

“Did I say you didn’t?” Levi asks, making sure his voice remains neutral.

Breaking formation, Eren stalks all the way to where Levi stands. “You’ve been ignoring me,” he says, a little too petulantly. 

“You’re not the only soldier in this squad, Eren,” Levi reminds him. 

“I know that!” Eren exclaims. He’s completely lost his temper now, and everyone stands around them, ready in case anything happens. Like Eren turning himself into a titan. 

“Then get back to formation,” Levi says evenly. 

“Why won’t you let me transform?” Eren asks. It’s not the first time he’s asked this question, but this is the first time Levi hears the naked despair behind it. “What _use_ is it, having this body, if I can’t use it to help humanity!”

“Eren,” Levi starts but Eren is moving before he can finish his thought.

Raising his hand to his mouth, Eren shoves his finger in his mouth and bites hard. 

Around the corner of his eyes, Levi can see his squad arranging themselves into formation. They’d practice, in case something like this happened. What to do in case Eren loses it.

Levi moves faster than any of them, taking Eren’s wrist in his hand and pulling his hand away from his mouth. His grip on Eren’s wrist is strong enough that Levi can feel his pulse. 

“Cut it out,” he orders. 

They stare at each other for a second before something shifts in Eren’s eyes. Levi feels the tension in Eren give, and there it is again, that quiet resignation Levi can’t quite put together.

“Whatever,” Eren says, yanking his wrist out of Levi’s hand. 

Levi watches him stomp away from the training grounds. He watches Eren’s back until it disappears behind the tall wooden doors. 

*

This time, Levi isn’t surprised when Eren bursts into his room that night. 

He is, however, surprised when Eren uses the few inches he has on him to push him up against the stonewall and kisses him hard on the mouth. He’s too busy trying to figure out what the hell is going on, so he doesn’t notice Eren’s hands until they’re fumbling on his belt. 

“Eren,” Levi says, trying to push Eren away and failing. “Stop,” he says, but Eren just covers his mouth again. “Eren, stop it.”

He pushes harder against Eren’s shoulders, hard enough to know he’s bruising him. But Eren just tightens his grip on Levi’s hips, bring them even closer. Eren kisses him firmly again, grinds his hips against Levi’s. And Levi can feel Eren’s _cock_ hardening against his own thigh. 

“Fuck,” Levi mutters. He finds Eren’s wrists and grabs them, pressing his thumbs into the soft skin. “Stop it,” he repeats, except this time, he makes sure it comes out as an order. 

Eren’s hands drop his hips slowly before he pushes away from Levi. Levi opens and closes his mouth a couple of times. They stare at each other for a moment. Levi has half a mind to shout at Eren, and he would do it, if he could find the right words to ask _what in the hell_. 

But then Eren is leaning all his weight against the stones, like he’s too tired to hold himself up. He closes his eyes and bangs his head on the wall. Levi can see the moment Eren’s knees buckle, and then he’s slouching to floor in a horrible, broken movement. 

Eren presses the heel of his palms to his eyes, his fingers pulling on his hairline. And he looks so small and defeated that Levi isn’t surprised when Eren asks, voice breaking, “Why won’t you let me?” 

Levi hears the same note of desperation he heard on the training grounds. Then, even quieter, Eren asks, “Why won’t you trust me?”

Levi shifts awkwardly on his spot. It isn’t that he doesn’t trust Eren. “That’s not it at all,” he says before deciding to try and get Eren off the floor. His efforts are mostly successful, if only because Eren is oddly pliable, oddly willing to follow as Levi grabs a hold of his arms to pull him up. 

Eren staggers upright, staring right into Levi’s eyes like he’s searching for something. Whatever it is, whatever Eren finds in Levi’s eyes, it makes him press his face into Levi’s shoulder. He punches Levi in the chest once and Levi takes it. Then he punches Levi again. Then a third time and fourth. And then he’s whispering something too low and muffled for Levi to hear, but his shoulders start shaking violently and there is not mistaking the wet patch that Levi feels through his shirt. 

Levi doesn’t know what else to do, other than wrap his arms around Eren until the whispers become full blown cries. Levi holds him through those, too. They stand in the middle of the room, with Eren crying into Levi’s shoulder, and Levi wrapping his arms tight around him. And Eren keeps shaking his head, and Levi wants to know what this is all about. Because he knows there’s something underneath all those questions. Something he’s missing. 

But now is not the time to ask. Now is the time to walk Eren to his bed, get him under the covers and stroke his hair.

Levi thinks Eren is falling asleep once his breathing starts slowing down to something closer to normal. And it seems wrong to sleep in the same bed, so he flings his legs on the edge of the bed to make a move for the chair. Except that, just before he stands, Eren grabs a hold of his elbow. 

He’s lying face first on Levi’s pillow so his words are muffled. Still, Levi hears him whisper “stay,” like it pains Eren to say the word. When Levi doesn’t move, Eren adds, equally pained, “please.” 

Levi has no idea what he’s doing here. But he knows when he’s needed. He covers Eren’s hand with his own and squeezes tight before pushing the covers back. Then he lies on his back, counting the seconds until Eren’s breathing becomes regular.

It takes him a long while to fall asleep, and, in the morning, he’s up before the sun has fully risen. Eren is still in his bed, looking tired even in his sleep.

Levi figures there’s no need to wake him up right now. Sliding gingerly out of bed, Levi makes his way out of his room to look for something to eat. 

*

When Levi comes back to his room, Eren is still asleep. It’s still early morning, but they have to talk. 

He nudges Eren’s shoulder lightly, watches Eren slowly waking up. He rubs his eyes and, taking in his surroundings, says, “I fell asleep.”

Levi smiles at him. “You did.” 

He pats the spot on the bed next to him and waits until Eren scrambles out of the covers. They sit on the edge of the bed with their knees touching. Offering the cup of coffee he brought back to the room to Eren, Levi says, “We need to talk.”

Eren nods, taking a sip of coffee. His eyes close for a second right before he makes this pleased moan at the back of his throat.

Levi waits for Eren to open his eyes again before saying, “I do trust you.” It’s true. He wouldn’t have brought Eren along if he hadn’t trusted him. But he also thinks they’re a long way from effectively using Eren’s abilities. There is a lot they don’t understand, which makes for too many unknown variables and avoidable risks. He pokes Eren’s temple with his index finger, saying, “You’re too hot-headed. You need more discipline.”

Levi watches Eren avert his eyes before he answers, “I know.”

“Okay,” Levi replies. Then, “Sit.”

“What?”

Levi takes the cup from Eren’s hands, sets it on the bedside table before gesturing to the floor and repeating his order, “Sit.”

“Why?” Eren asks.

“Because you need to learn how to follow orders.” Levi watches Eren hesitate, watches him bite his lip. He adds, “I trust you, do you trust me?”

“Yeah,” Eren replies, in a faraway voice that bothers Levi. He’s not meeting Levi’s eyes again. Cupping Eren’s chin, Levi nudges until Eren turns his eyes on him again. He raises his eyebrows at Eren, expectantly. Eren gulps before saying, “I mean. Yes. I trust you.”

“Good,” Levi says. He smiles at Eren, brushing the pad of his thumb on Eren’s cheek. “Sit,” he orders. 

Eren nods and scoots to the floor. He sits with his back straight, head held high. The line of his shoulders is impossibly tense. 

Levi moves sideways on the bed so he can sit right behind Eren, feet wide apart on the floor. Then he places a hand on Eren’s shoulder to direct him so he sits in between Levi’s legs. With his legs, Levi holds Eren in place, with his hand, Levi pushes on the back of Eren’s head. 

It isn’t long before Eren starts twitching. Levi tells him to take a deep breath, massaging his nape and pressing harder into his side with his legs. Levi holds him close and tight until Eren relaxes again. 

Levi hears Eren exhaling a long breath before the tension in his shoulders finally gives. That’s when he scratches the base of Eren’s head before bending down so his lips are almost touching Eren’s ear. 

He whispers, “Good boy.”

**Author's Note:**

> A while back I wrote [you between me and the feeling](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1790599). Ever since, I've been meaning to write a prequel of sorts. This fic is that prequel.


End file.
